When Ryan Reynolds's 3-year-old daughter James asked him about Santa's safety after her family left the fireplace on all night on Christmas Eve, Ryan could've told her that Santa's magical powers let him withstand fires, or that his trip down the chimney automatically makes the blaze go out. But he's no ordinary dad, especially when it comes to flexing his parenting humor muscles (seriously, just look at his Twitter). The actor had a more unconventional response for James up his sleeve, which he shared with the Instagram world on Dec. 26. And boy, is it just a tiny bit evil.

The father of two posted a photo of the family's roaring fire along with a recent conversation he had with his toddler:

Daughter: Santa comes down the chimney?
Me: Yup.
Daughter: You left the fire burning all night.
Me: Yup. (Silence. Slight breeze. A crow circles in the distance.)